Application distribution and billing system in a wireless network

ABSTRACT

A system, method, and computer program for tracking billable events occurring on wireless devices on a wireless network and billing the appropriate parties. The billable events occur from the end-users of the wireless devices selectively communicating with other computer devices across the wireless network and downloading and executing software applications thereupon. The billable event data is ultimately gathered at a server on the wireless network from which billing for the wireless device billable events can be generated.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of Provisional ApplicationNo. 60/312,737, filed Aug. 15, 2001, pending, which application isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] I. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention generally relates to data networks andcomputer communications and processing. More particularly, the inventionrelates to the interfacing between systems, transaction processing andbilling, and product negotiation and management.

[0004] II. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Wireless devices, such as cellular telephones, personal digitalassistants (“PDAs”), pagers, laptops with wireless connectivity, etc.,communicate packets including voice and data over a wireless network.These wireless devices have installed application programming interfaces(“APIs”) onto their local computer platform that allow softwaredevelopers to create software applications that operate on the wirelessdevice. The API sits between the wireless device system software and thesoftware application, making the wireless device functionality availableto the application without requiring the software developer to have thespecific wireless device system source code.

[0006] The software applications can come pre-loaded at the time thewireless telephone is manufactured, or the user may later request thatadditional programs be downloaded over cellular telecommunicationcarrier networks, where the downloaded applications are executable onthe wireless telephone. As a result, users of wireless telephones cancustomize their wireless telephones through the selective downloading ofapplications, such as games, printed media, stock updates, news, or anyother type of information or application that is available for downloadthrough the wireless network. In order to manage the cellular telephoneresources, the user of the wireless telephone purposefully deletesapplications and data from the wireless telephone platform to clearstorage space so that new applications can be loaded onto the clearedstorage.

[0007] In contrast to the larger computer platforms of personalcomputers and PDAs, wireless devices have limited resources, such asstorage and processing, to devote to non-essential applications.Typically, the telecommunication applications have priority of usage ofthe system resources, with other applications allocated resources asavailable. The wireless device thus only has a limited capacity forholding all files for applications, and the managing of resources isleft up to the discretion of user of the telephone to deleteapplications to make room for new applications desired downloaded to thewireless device. The wireless device will not otherwise download anapplication that it does not have the resources to hold and execute.

[0008] Applications, and other data, that will be downloaded to awireless device will require billing processing. Downloadingapplications, content or other transactions that occur with a wirelessdevice take up resources on a network. A carrier, in the case of awireless network, will want to record these transactions and bill for itappropriately.

[0009] In the case with voice, a carrier only needs to keep track of theamount of time the wireless device is used on the network and bill forthe minutes of use. With data, however, the billing paradigm may bedifferent. Carriers may bill for the download or use of a dataapplication separate from how much time it takes on the carrier'snetwork to download the application. To bill for these transactions, thespecific transaction will need to be accounted for and billed, not justthe amount of time used on the network to perform the transaction.

[0010] In addition, with applications, there may be multiple partysettlements involved who share in the fee for the billed transaction.For example with an application download transaction, a carrier and adeveloper may share the download transaction fee incurred by thewireless device. In other cases, such as with downloading content, thecarrier, a content provider and/or a third party involved may get partof the fee incurred by the wireless device's use of that content.Consequently, tracking, billing, and maintaining who shares in the feefor the multitude of transactions that occur becomes quite complex. Thisbecomes even more complex when an extremely high number of transactionsthat may occur on a carrier's network, with thousands, if not millions,of wireless devices performing numerous transactions each.

[0011] Additionally, wireless devices typically need to communicate withother systems and databases within the other systems. Unfortunately, thewireless device may lose a signal during communication or be otherwiseunavailable when transmitting information to other systems. This maycause errors when attempting to access a database when the signal islost. The wireless device may be required to reinitiate the databaseaccess and resubmit the database request when the signal is reacquired.

[0012] Extended beyond wireless devices, often wire-based systems needto communicate with each other but do not share a similar “language” forcommunication. For example, as with wireless devices, one system mayneed to communicate with the database in another system to receive orinsert data. To communicate with the database, the system must be awareof the database language, record and field structures, and formats inorder to access and store information in the database. While currenttechnologies provide for the ability for the interface between thesystem and the database to include the language, structure and format ofthe database, this becomes more complex when multiple databases,possibly requiring multiple unique database languages, etc., need to beaccessed.

[0013] Furthermore, when data is to be sent to multiple systems, orconversely received from multiple systems, a common interface does notexist to integrate across the multiple systems to simplify the datatransmission. This is problematic for systems communicating with severalother systems.

[0014] Current methods in the art do not address this need. Databasereplication services and custom built database interfaces can becomevery complex and unwieldy if multiple databases need to be accessed. Inaddition, all systems that access the custom database must have thatinterface. Also, custom built databases are required to stay online fortransactions to occur.

[0015] Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) only addresses the need forpre-defined message types and content specific to electronic commerce.The EDI message formats do not address the data exchange needs as itrelates to wireless services, system integration considerations andbilling specificity.

[0016] In addition, products offered for use by the wireless devicerequire negotiation between parties who created the product and thecarriers who's networks will transmit the product to the wirelessdevices. As the product list and number of carriers and wireless devicescapable of using the product increases, the negotiation of the productparameters, such as prices, becomes more complex and the managing of allthe product offerings and agreed to prices become much more difficult.

[0017] Therefore what is needed in the art are systems and methods toaddress the above recognized shortcomings in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Systems and methods consistent with the present inventionovercome the shortcomings of existing systems by providing systems andmethods for interfacing between systems, transaction processing andbilling, and product negotiation and management.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method comprises amethod as disclosed herein.

[0020] In another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatuscomprises an apparatus as disclosed here.

[0021] Other objects, advantages, and features of the present inventionwill become apparent after review of the hereinafter set forth BriefDescription of the Drawings, Detailed Description of the Invention, andthe Claims.

1. A system for distributing applications over a wireless network,comprising: a centralized processor operable to perform administrativefunctions associated with downloading an application to a wirelessdevice; a local processor connected to the centralized processor andoperable to receive catalog data and the application from thecentralized processor, to transmit the catalog and application to thewireless device, and to record transaction data associated with thetransmission of the application; and a transaction history serverconnected to the centralized processor and the local processor andoperable to receive metadata information from the centralized processor,receive transaction data from the local processor, and processor themetadata information and transaction data for billing.
 2. An apparatusas disclosed herein.
 3. A method as disclosed herein.